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Before I begin the few posts remaining in this collection of thoughts, I want to thank those that have helped participate in this process over the years. I’ve had an on/off/on/off-again relationship with BBN. It’s been something that I’ve left, and returned to many times over the past seven years, and with that I have only my friends and colleagues who have pushed me through many times.

I’ve come back to this place to end back at square one where I started back in 2008, to be honest. I was a fresh out of high school graduate who started writing my thoughts about politics and such, and the basis of Big Box News was something based in my original blog – “Dime Store Rebellion.” (I called it DSR, I’ve got a thing for three letter acronyms, apparently) but that was a long time ago. The final article from that old rag was called “Big Vox News,” and to be certain it was a satire on Fox News. Something I’ve maintained over the years, and proudly so. But much to the point, I’ve come full circle with politics and political writing. It started with me supporting President Obama, and denouncing the conservatives time and time again, and now here at the finish – I’m back doing the same old thing.

Much of my writing this final “season” will center around the last stretch of the general election, current events and as always – I’ll be here with the same smug satisfaction of being left. I will be writing on gun safety laws, homeland security, the last days of President Obama’s administration, Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton, and of course – Donald Drumpf.

So we begin on my seventh anniversary, and we’ll come to a close December 31st, 2016.

But again, those that have read my articles, and those that know me best here – I want to thank you. Your words have inspired me, your love has embraced me, and your convictions have only lead me to wanting do this right, even if it’s just for one final farewell ride.

I recently lost my grandmother. She was eighty-nine years old, a survivor, a loving woman who never judged and always gave. But what I witnessed during the turmoil was so much worse than her death or losing her; it was watching her children bicker, fight, assault and hate one another over her belongings. Worse, still, was that she wasn’t even dead or cold when they began.

I’m only human, never perfect and as much as I know I’m a judgmental prick I know the difference between human greed and human filth. So allow me to apologize for the rant, everyone. I hate writing personal things because though I am very much an open and personable guy – I don’t want to flash my family issues in front of everyone.

My grandmother didn’t die from the pancreatitis. She died from a broken heart because her filthy children wouldn’t stop trying to strangle one another for inheritance. I won’t even be able to attend the funeral because of their actions. Which, as much as I hate, is fine – I’ll pay my respects when the crows are fed. I watched my uncle and aunt get so upset over nothing that they had to be removed from the hospital. All I can think during this time is how little family means to me.

Is this what family means today? A feast for crows to gather ’round and wait? It’s despicable. Not worthy of blood lines or history. I haven’t told anyone yet but I have disavowed my family from myself. I refuse to call them family, and I never will again. I don’t know if I want family if this is the way they act. As horrible as it sounds, it’s a relief. Truthfully. Watching filthy fat fucks gather around and wait for you to die so that your entire legacy can be pilfered and raped? No. It’s something that I can’t stand, and I don’t think I want it.

I want a family one day, maybe, but currently family means among the least amount to me at the moment. I was asked if I have regrets and honestly, I do. Very few, however, and I’ll even share them with you – I regret not waiting for someone, I regret calling my mother’s family “family,” and I regret the few roads I chose not to take in life. But nevermind all that, yes?

Here’s what I have to say at the end of this;

Live your lives, everyone. Don’t react to others’ expectations and require yourself to fulfill them – they’re not your responsibility. Live for yourself and no one else until you’re sure you’re actually willing to deny yourself for something or someone else. Don’t let your family become what I’ve discussed. Don’t let yourself become a feast for crows.

I read this phrase when discussing the World Cup today. I was told by my nephew that nationalism is stupid – and honestly, he’s not wrong…But he’s also not right. Nationalism can be a tool used for horrors best described by examples of Nazism, and other horrors, but it can be a wrecking ball for good. Without nationalism, many of our proudest moments as humans would never have happened. Landing on the Moon? Nope. Defeating the Nazis and liberating their death camps? Kiss that goodbye. Creating the internet? Don’t think so.

So why fight against it? Because you’re rebelling for some lost ideology that you’ll change in six weeks? Your philosophy teacher said so? Nationalism creates pride and when pride comes into place, fantastic things can and will happen. I promise you. When you take pride in something, let’s say your car – you take care of your car. You clean it, wax it, keep it well oiled and maintained but if you don’t? It falls apart. When you take pride and assurance in your home, because that’s where you live you maintain the walls, the fixtures, the doors, the floors, you make sure she’s ship-shape and without that? Your home turns into a slum. The people of Detroit lost pride in their home and look at it now – so what happens if we create a generation of anti-nationalist Americans? Widespread decay and apathy?

And we wonder why some generations hate us. We’re a fantastic generation, and I believe in us but sometimes our entitlement and apathy really piss me off. It’s not like generations of people fought for freedoms so that you can live in a suburb or anything. The lack of understanding, and the displacement of tradition and honoring where we’ve come from is what’s causing this and I can promise you, it’ll bite us in the ass.

Take pride in your job. Whatever you’re doing, do that and work to be the best at that. If you don’t like what you’re doing with your life? Change it. There’s still time to change the road you’re on. Take pride in your home, fix it up, repaint it. Don’t abandon ship just because the floorboards are creaky. Take pride in your family, trust me – you only get one so treat them well and it’ll pay off in due time. Be proud of your country, she’s all we’ve got and yeah, times are tough ladies and gentleman. I know that, but things will get better. Things are always grim before they get better and good things are coming, I promise you. Countless forerunners have given us opportunities to be where we’re at – and yes, some have squandered it, but the gift is still there.

Take pride in who you are, what you are – no matter what. You’re a human being, you’re an Australian, a Cambodian, an American. You’re black, you’re white. You’re straight, you’re gay. You’re a woman. Take pride in that, and wear it like armor and never let go of it. Wear your flag like a badge, flash it out and take a stand on that. Be proud, you’re a wonderful creature.

Millions of years of evolution, hundreds of years of fighting and squabbling have lead us to this point – don’t abandon yourself or your fellows. This ship is still strong. #GoTeamYou #USA #IBelieve

Racism, sexism, women’s rights, men’s rights, economic barriers, student loan debt, never ending proxy wars, joblessness, homelessness, veteran’s affairs, healthcare, NSA spying, wiretapping, torture, civil unrest. What do these things have in common? They’re problems. They’re not just problems for the public, or massive worries for the individual, they’re party problems. They’re problems because not only are they not getting fixed – they’re keeping us bogged down and socially attentive to small problems that we forget to focus on the biggest problems.

Racism is a problem, it always has been and it will continue to be. Why? Because we’re human, and if you think that that’s not a good enough answer? I’m sorry. This is a problem that can be put on the backburner. Sexism? Same thing. Overall is it bad? Of course. Can we fix it? Surely. Does it lurk about in the worst possible way, looming over all of our nation and our future? Hell no. Women and Men’s rights don’t exist individually. They’re Human rights. Stop treating them as specific problems for each sex and work together on overcoming them and guess what? I won’t have to read stupid memes from Facebook pages bitching about them. It works for you – and it’ll certainly work for me. But what, again, is the issue I have? The problem with modernity is that so much widespread problematic issues overtake us, and we stop on each pebble and argue over that stone on the path instead of looking at the entire road.

It’s true. You know it is, and even if you disagree with me on most issues – you can’t deny I’m right on this. We have bigger fish to fry, so to speak, and those minnows that you’re arguing over and wasting your energy on can wait. Trust me. I’m a student of history. You want justice now? It’ll have to wait.

We, as American citizens, have to look at the big picture and focus on one task at a time. Stone by stone, the road will be made but we can’t lay the path if the forest is standing in the way. The biggest issue right now? A sixteen trillion dollar deficit looming over a possible worldwide economic breakdown. Now, if you think that women’s rights is a bigger problem then please, allow me to explain myself for a moment and then you can shun me.

If we suffer a complete economic meltdown here’s a picture of what happens: Your money will become worthless, dollar for dollar it’ll devolve back into it’s ingredients; cotton and paper. Your food will become more scarce, and trust me when I say that, because as modern Americans – we’ve never known hunger, not real hunger anyhow. Social programs, and safety nets will fall through completely. You may not like police officers driving behind you, but you’d certainly miss having the protection of them should all Hell break loose. Manufacturing will dry up, jobs will become nonexistent and you’ll be left bereft, hungry, scared and since all communication systems will fail, you’ll be alone with no Tumblr to turn to. Your homes will be raided, your families could and probably can be taken for whatever profit they’ll provide, transportation will become nullified as roads will be blocked by vacant vehicles, and without any fuel to supply vehicles, good luck driving away to a better place. Medical facilities will become rampant with disease and death, plagues will be fueled and with no doctors or specialists to research cures, you’ll be left alone to your own devices. Good luck, social activist #123298028. Your polisci class will certainly help you when you’ve got a case of the superflu. Water systems will either dry up or will become diseased and corroded. Life as you know it will end. No hospitals, no communications, no money, no protection, no infrastructure. iPhones will not save you. Your iPad will not be able to connect you. Twitter will not be able to hash it out and you’ll have nothing but your own self. If we fall, everyone falls. Remember that.

After a few years of the starvation, with no hope in sight you’ll consider suicide, but before you do remember this: Should all systems, here, fail, one of two major things could happen. The government could collapse and that would probably lead to a Military Coup, martial law, and an oligarchy of military prowess. Have fun with (our shared) liberal values. I’m sure the Dictator would love to go halfsies on a coffee with you while you debate the finer issues of mass hysteria. Or, worse could happen in a complete takeover by a foreign power. That would be just the bee’s knees. Wouldn’t it? A nation of former conquerors claimed by a new outside force? Delightful. Surely. But there is a third option, life would falter, all systems go down and rampant Warlords give claim to a modern feudal system providing, of course, that you even live to survive to this moment.

So, may I ask you something? Of course I can, you’re reading my post, after all, what future do you want? One where those aforementioned issues are taken care of, albeit slower than you want, or the three horsemen after us? Your choice, everyone. We have bigger fish to fry than abortion, your civil rights are needed, noted and deserved, trust me. I feel the same way, but we have a task – that is to figure out how to fix our economic apocalypse before it happens. If we lose, we lose everyone and everything we’ve worked all these centuries for. I have my own issues, but I know we as a nation and as a people have to work towards the biggest picture, then the stones will fall into place and all will be well. You can’t expect old white guys to fix every single issue as you spit them out, can you? So don’t force them to try. Put aside our petty malarkey for awhile and work together. Hell, maybe that alone will fix most of the issues we have.

And who knows, maybe you’ll be saved from the SuperFlu. Sorry it’s been a few weeks, readers. BBN is here to stay, I promise.

Also, Congratulations to the United States Men’s National Team on that incredible victory, last night, over Ghana! #IBelieve

To the readers, friends, family and anyone out there willing; I’m embarking on a mission. That mission is The Story of You.

For the next six months I’m going to be asking questions of friends, family, and strangers to tell our generation’s story while we’re young. We, the Millennials. I only ask that you help me with this by answering questions, short or long answers will always be accepted because that’s what I want to do – I want to tell our story while we’re still young so that twenty years from now we’ll be able to look back say “That was us, that was me. That is the story of our generation.” When I’m done, I will post my entire article, for everyone to see.